tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61846002324941286302018-08-06T02:33:49.525-07:00American Alpine Institute - DispatchesDispatches from American Alpine Institute's worldwide mountaineering expeditions, including the West Buttress of Denali, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the Seven Summits.American Alpine Institutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02912049031518327438noreply@blogger.comBlogger1317125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-31838864871109964112018-08-03T14:45:00.000-07:002018-08-03T14:45:51.152-07:002018 Ecuador Cotopaxi Skills Expedition and Chimborazo (July 20 - August 3, 2018) Dispatch 2<br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><b>Guide:&nbsp;</b>Franklin Varela<br /><br /><b>Climbers:&nbsp;</b>John V., Max V., Christine G., Paul K., Courtney S., and Ben H.<br /><br /><b>Dispatch from Days 7 - 15:</b><br /><br />Climber Paul Keating called this morning with the following report on his team's trip.<br /><br />"Hello again for our team,<br /><br />We are in the beautiful town of Baños where we've been resting and enjoying the lush setting - so different from the alpine areas where we've been climbing!<br /><br />The food has been really good, and we've also enjoyed meeting quite a variety of international travelers in the numerous cafes here in town. There are a lot of cafes. So this has been a great way to finish the trip, very relaxing and invigorating.<br /><br />We have had a wonderful time throughout this program, and I want to start by saying what an awesome job our guides Franklin and Pablo have done. Most of us have climbed with other guides before, and we would rank Franklin and Pablo among the best.<br /><br />They have consistently gone above and beyond the traditional level of duty that guides take on. We've had good instruction, excellent advice on our gear, really good coaching on climbing technique during the ascents, and probably most important of all, consistently great encouragement during our climbs.<br /><br />I'm seventy and got a good way up both Cotopaxi and Chimborazo, and Franklin was amazing in helping make the most of the climbs and enjoy myself. On Chimborazo, it was beautiful weather and after a good number of hours, I began running out of gas. His advice was how far I go doesn't really matter as much as enjoying the beauty of the mountain, the beauty of the day, and sharing the experiences with my new friends on this trip during and after the climbs. So I didn't summit Chimborazo, but he helped me enjoy one of my best climbing days ever. And I was very happy for my fellow climbers who did summit.<br /><br />Backing up a little in our itinerary, we had some tough weather on Cotopaxi, with winds and graupel [snow pellets]. But people bundled up and stayed warm enough, and part of our team went all the way to the summit.<br /><br />I have to say, the weather on Chimborazo was glorious and a wonderful way to finish our five hiking and climbing experiences here in Ecuador.<br /><br />We had a wonderful time together, really enjoyed the climbs and the variety on these mountains, and also very much enjoyed the culture of Ecuador. Franklin did a great job providing us with a good understanding of the culture, including people's values and priorities and the basic characteristics of life at different economic levels of society. It was very interesting and certainly added to the richness of our experience here. I think it is fair to say we all came to love this beautiful country and really enjoy and appreciate its people.<br /><br />I climbed with AAI in the European Alps 30 years ago with AAI and 20 years ago in Bolivia. Like this one, they were great trips. Thank for the excellent organization of all the trip details and thank you especially for the great guides. Many of us would classify this as a "trip of a lifetime." I'll look forward to providing more specific praises on my written program review.<br /><br />We're heading back to Quito this afternoon where we'll have our final dinner together, and then we'll head home tomorrow. Thanks for everything!"</span></div>Erin-Leigh Hardyhttps://plus.google.com/109063081242347437814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-59725662843500409562018-08-03T14:34:00.000-07:002018-08-03T14:45:24.040-07:002018 Ecuador Cotopaxi Skills Expedition (July 20 - 29, 2018) Dispatch 1<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><b>Guide: </b>Franklin Varela<br /><br /><b>Climbers: </b>John V., Max V., Christine G., Paul K., Courtney S., and Ben H.<br /><br />Dispatch from Days 1-6:<br /><br />John Vlasto called and spoke with us this morning with great news about Cayambe:</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">“Good morning!<br /><br />This is John. We’re calling to say we hope everyone up north is doing well and to let you know all of us down here are doing very well and to let you know we have some exciting news. Together we all climbed to the summit of Cayambe yesterday. It was not an easy climb and not a fast one because of the winds, but the weather was otherwise very good and every team member was incredibly persistent.<br /><br />A few team members had some doubts about continuing when we were pretty high up on the mountain, but their drive combined with a lot of encouragement from their guides and teammates made it all happen.<br /><br />We started early to get the lowest temperatures possible and good snow conditions on the glacier. We got up around 11:30 pm Tuesday night and started our approach to the glacier at 12:40 am yesterday morning.<br /><br />It was a slow climb because of the wind. It was quite tiring. I think we took about nine-and-a-half hours for the ascent and three-and-a-half hours for the descent, and our excellent guide Franklin said that may have been a record slow speed! But we all had a laugh, and he added that our team was among the few that he had ever guided under such challenging conditions where every single team member made the summit. He said he believes the mutual support and encouragement made all the difference.<br /><br />When we got back to the hut, people we extremely tired, so we had some food and rest before heading back down to beautiful Hacienda Guachala. Today would be our normal summit day according to our itinerary, but we moved it up a day because the weather report indicated there could be snowfall today.<br /><br />So we have a day of rest and good food here at Guachala, and tomorrow we will have an easy day, driving south to Cotopaxi National Park, and then morning up into the mountains where we will stay at Tambopaxi Lodge.<br /><br />We plan to make our attempt on Cotopaxi on Saturday, so we’ll call you Saturday night or sometime on Sunday. Talk to you soon!”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Erin-Leigh Hardyhttps://plus.google.com/109063081242347437814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-69970661036070204872018-07-24T10:46:00.001-07:002018-07-24T10:46:32.634-07:002018 Ecuador Cotopaxi Skills Expedition and Chimborazo Ascent (June 29 - July 9, 2018) Dispatch 2<b>Guide: </b>Fredy Tipan<br /><br /><b>Climbers: </b>Peter G., and Sean S.<br /><br /><b>Dispatch from Days 10-15:</b><br /><br />Fredy called while the group was traveling from Chimborazo back to Quito. Fredy said:<br /><br />"We had a fantastically successful trip, overall. The weather was great, for the most part, and we were able to summit Cotopaxi and Chimborazo!"<br /><br />Fredy then put Peter on the phone with the following message:<br /><br />"Everything about this trip has been absolutely wonderful. The weather has been fabulous. <br /><br />We did have to turn around about 300 feet from the summit of Cayambe due to a bad snowpack. I believe Romel made a good call by having us turnaround and I felt very safe with all of the guides' decision making throughout the trip. <br /><br />The summit of Cotopaxi was a bit windy, but otherwise a smooth climb. Our climbing day on Chimborazo was an absolute blue-bird day without any wind! We decided to stay the extra night near Chimborazo because the countryside is so beautiful and we wanted to spend more time near the glacier, so we did not go to Baños. <br /><br />I want to tell everyone at home that Ecuador is a beautiful country to visit! The culture is fascinating and the countryside has more shades of green than I have ever seen in my life. I recommend everyone visits."<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Erin-Leigh Hardyhttps://plus.google.com/109063081242347437814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-85789039773981574662018-07-05T10:24:00.002-07:002018-07-05T10:25:25.663-07:002018 Ecuador Cotopaxi Skills Expedition and Chimborazo Ascent (June 29 - July 9, 2018) Dispatch 1<b>Guide:</b> Fredy Tipan<br /><br /><b>Climbers: </b>Peter G., Julie K., Irene D., Joshua H., and Sean S.<br /><br /><b>Dispatch from Days 1-4:</b><br /><br />Fredy called on Monday, July 2nd (Day 4) with the following dispatch:<br /><br />The group has just started their acclimatization process. Yesterday they climbed Pasochoa (4,199m/13,776 ft). The weather was cloudy and foggy, but that was actually nice because it kept the temperature cool throughout the hike. <br /><br />Today they climbed Rucu Pichincha (4,697m/15,413 ft) with much better weather and the whole team made it to the summit to share in the amazing views of the surrounding volcanos. <br /><br /><br />Josh H. came on the phone to let us know his experience thus far:<br /><br />"Everything so far has been absolutely wonderful! The weather has been very nice, I even enjoyed having a little fog hanging around yesterday because it kept the temperature quite cool for our first acclimatization hike. <br /><br />My partner and I came to Quito a few days early and were so happy to find 3 amazing vegan restaurants within walking distance of the Hotel Reina Isabel. We've already gone to one of them so many times they know us by name! <br /><br />The acclimatization so far has been great. I really appreciate the mix of experience on the team. My partner and I feel as though we have a lot to learn still, and the more experienced team members are more than happy to help us learn new skills! <br /><br />We are off to Hacienda Guachala now. We are very excited for the upcoming skills day and climbs! Talk to you soon. "<br /><br />Erin-Leigh Hardyhttps://plus.google.com/109063081242347437814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-65137282991824594412018-07-01T12:35:00.002-07:002018-07-01T12:35:58.552-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30) Summit DispatchGuides:<br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><br />Team 7 returned to Talkeetna this morning after a successful expedition. Excellent way to end the 2018 Denali season.Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-29064079847020096742018-06-29T16:35:00.002-07:002018-06-29T16:35:25.848-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30) Summit Dispatch<br />Guides:<br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><div><br /></div>Team 7 continues&nbsp;to&nbsp;move their way down the mountain. They arrived at Camp 2 (11,200ft) at 5:16 am Alaska time and will hopefully&nbsp;fly back to Talkeetna tonight. Upon their return, we will post the final dispatch of the 2018 Denali season!<br /><br /><br />Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-74567760404503932602018-06-28T08:53:00.001-07:002018-06-28T08:53:07.775-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30) Summit Dispatch<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #477fba; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 18.200000762939453px; margin: 13px 0px; padding: 0px;"></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3848512599166831604" itemprop="description articleBody" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><u>Guides:</u><br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><u><br /></u><u>Climbers:</u><br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers</div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3848512599166831604" itemprop="description articleBody" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3848512599166831604" itemprop="description articleBody" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Team 7 stood on top of North America yesterday in beautiful weather. They returned to High Camp late last light to deliver the news to us via satellite text. They are sleeping in today and will make their way down to Camp 3 this afternoon. They hope to be back at Base Camp tomorrow.</div>Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-38485125991668316042018-06-27T11:45:00.002-07:002018-06-27T11:45:32.201-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)<u>Guides:</u><br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><u><br /></u><u>Climbers:</u><br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><br />Today we moved to High Camp in blustery, cold conditions. Shortly after arriving at this camp at 17,200ft it became mostly calm&nbsp;and sunny! Some people made it to the summit today, and the forecast promises 24hrs of fair weather. So tomorrow we are hoping to&nbsp;go for the summit, health and weather permitting.Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-79032922056229190572018-06-26T08:30:00.003-07:002018-06-26T08:30:39.173-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)<br />Guides:<br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Wind and snow greeted us this AM, so we plan on taking advantage of a few days of forecasted high pressure, warmer temps, and lower&nbsp;winds to begin our summit bid tomorrow. We plan to move to high camp in the morning.</span></span>Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-39389226196809793452018-06-24T21:23:00.002-07:002018-06-24T21:23:29.256-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #477fba; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 18.200000762939453px; margin: 13px 0px; padding: 0px;"></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-8542176696121690690" itemprop="description articleBody" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #477fba; font-size: 18.200000762939453px; margin: 13px 0px; padding: 0px;"><u style="color: #204063; font-size: 13px;">Guides:</u></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3331379056373230068" itemprop="description articleBody"><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><u><br /></u><u>Climbers:</u><br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers</div></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: #313131; font-family: -apple-system, HelveticaNeue; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: #313131; font-family: -apple-system, HelveticaNeue; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;">Today we rested and prepared ourselves for the upper mountain. Our plan is to move to High Camp/Camp 4 (17,300ft) tomorrow and</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: #313131; font-family: -apple-system, HelveticaNeue; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;">&nbsp;Tues or Wed are the days when we will try for the summit!</span>Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-85421766961216906902018-06-23T22:00:00.001-07:002018-06-23T22:00:32.435-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #477fba; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 18.200000762939453px; margin: 13px 0px; padding: 0px;"><u style="caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-size: 13px;">Guides:</u></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3331379056373230068" itemprop="description articleBody" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><u><br /></u><u>Climbers:</u><br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><br />Team 7 rested at Camp 3 (14,200ft) today after their big move. Acclimiatizing, resting, training for the fixed lines, and bacon eating galore! Tomorrow the team will cache up the lines at 16,200ft, weather permitting.&nbsp;</div>Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-85512363433029682792018-06-22T12:41:00.000-07:002018-06-22T12:41:07.231-07:002018 Ecuador Cotopaxi Skills Expedition and Chimborazo Ascent (June 15 - 29, 2018) Dispatch 2<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Guide: </b>Romel Sandoval<br /><br /><b>Climbers:</b> Max G., Laura K., Michael G., Kathryn S.<br /><br /><b>Dispatch from Days 5-7:</b><br /><br />Romel, the guide for the June 15th Ecuador trip called with the following news:<br /><br />Hi there,<br /><br />We are calling in from Hacienda Guachala to let you know we had a good climb today on Cayambe. Conditions were pretty tough, but we made it to about 16,000 feet. <br /><br />The winds were very strong and limited what we could do, but everyone did a great job both with their gear and their climbing. It's easy to get cold in wind like that, but everyone was well prepared and used their layering systems in a way that kept them comfortable.<br /><br />I am also very happy to say that no one had any problems with the altitude. Our acclimatization hikes prepared everyone very well for today's high elevation.<br /><br />We were a funny sight when we returned to the hut because we were all covered with rime ice! Rime ice forms when clouds or fog full of water vapor hit cold objects, like the surface of our parkas, and freezes into ice crystals. We looked like something out of an exaggerated scene in a movie. <br /><br />Anyway, the climbing was really good. In fact, it was kind of strange to have such inconveniently high winds but have perfect snowpack conditions. The cramponing could not have been better!</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXqci06nEPw/Wy1P69zsb4I/AAAAAAAADCs/nSYdwjB23TgFxBWwzyPPsMa5w47V3BTFACLcBGAs/s1600/hacienda%2Bguachala.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="500" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXqci06nEPw/Wy1P69zsb4I/AAAAAAAADCs/nSYdwjB23TgFxBWwzyPPsMa5w47V3BTFACLcBGAs/s320/hacienda%2Bguachala.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We returned to the hut and had some food and a little rest, then packed up and drove back down the mountain to Hacienda Guachala. In ten minutes we are heading to dinner, and we're really looking forward to that. The food here is very, very good, and I think a lot of us have been thinking about the menu this afternoon!<br /><br />Tomorrow we will have a very easy day. We'll drive to Cotopaxi National Park and stay at Tombopaxi Lodge. It's a very comfortable lodge, and we will have good views of our next goal, 19,348-foot Cotopaxi.<br /><br />We will have a fun day tomorrow with a lot of good views and time for relaxing, then Saturday we will hike to the hut on Cotopaxi, and Sunday we will make our summit attempt.<br /><br />Wish us luck! We'll send you news as soon as we can. <br /><br />Bye for now!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div>Erin-Leigh Hardyhttps://plus.google.com/109063081242347437814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-33313790563732300682018-06-22T09:38:00.002-07:002018-06-22T09:38:13.545-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)<u>Guides:</u><br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><u><br /></u><u>Climbers:</u><br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><br />Team 7 hit it out of the park today with a big move to Camp 3 (14,200ft)! Hard conditions at Windy Corner (13,500ft), but the team hardly missed a beat.&nbsp;We plan on resting tomorrow! Until then, T7 signing off.Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-40104099634205202812018-06-21T22:59:00.001-07:002018-06-21T22:59:23.242-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #477fba; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 18.200000762939453px; margin: 13px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-size: 13px;">Guides:</span></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6604302403352104868" itemprop="description articleBody" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers</div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6604302403352104868" itemprop="description articleBody" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6604302403352104868" itemprop="description articleBody" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(32, 64, 99); color: #204063; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Team 7 is preparing for the move to Camp 3. Windy Corner lived up to its name and kept all teams from ascending higher. Team is in good spirits and looking forward to be on the move again.&nbsp;</div>Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-12265836348731842312018-06-21T08:42:00.000-07:002018-06-21T08:42:53.590-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 6 (June 3 - June 23) Final Dispatch<br />Guides:<br /><br />Andy Stephen<br />Calvin Morris<br />Seth White<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Peter Fowler<br />Steve Maliszeski<br />Andrew Prunty<br />Tim Wright<br />Erik Beever<br />Vaughan Busby<br />Vincent Larivierre<br />Maria Conceicao<br />Bjarne Henningsen<br /><br />Team 6 flew off the mountain last night and celebrated at a local brewery. It's always a difficult decision to turn back without having achieved the summit. Denali did everything it could to keep us from the top and we, unfortunately, ran out of time. Even the strongest teams are at the mercy of the weather. Thanks for following along - AndyWyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-12377032164428929032018-06-20T09:53:00.001-07:002018-06-20T09:53:12.097-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 6 (June 3 - June 23)<u>Guides:</u><br /><br />Andy Stephen<br />Calvin Morris<br />Seth White<br /><u><br /></u><u>Climbers:</u><br /><br />Peter Fowler<br />Steve Maliszeski<br />Andrew Prunty<br />Tim Wright<br />Erik Beever<br />Vaughan Busby<br />Vincent Larivierre<br />Maria Conceicao<br />Bjarne Henningsen<br /><br />Good morning, team 6 pushed through the night to basecamp, as is hoping to fly to Talkeetna this morning. The storms just wouldn’t let up, and so the team decided to head down. We are all tired from a night of&nbsp;walking but got a beautiful Alaskan&nbsp;Sunset on the walk. All for now, hopefully our next message will be from civilization! -AndyWyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-66043024033521048682018-06-20T09:50:00.003-07:002018-06-20T09:50:37.111-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)Guides:<br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><br />The lower part of Denali gave us a break weather-wise today. We recovered our cache below Kahiltna Pass and returned to Camp 2 and spectacular views of Mt Foraker and Kahiltna Dome. Winds are still high on the mountain above us- when they abate we'll make our move toward Windy Corner and Camp 3. Good to be moving again! Team 7 signing off for the night.Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-23875714519853768452018-06-19T16:00:00.000-07:002018-06-19T16:01:00.360-07:002018 Ecuador Cotopaxi Skills Expedition and Chimborazo Ascent (June 15 - 29, 2018) Dispatch 1<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><b>Guide: </b>Romel Sandoval<br /><br /><b>Climbers: </b>Max G., Laura K., Michael G., Kathryn S.<br /><b><br />Dispatch from Days 1-4:</b><br /><br />Members of the June 15th Ecuador trip called with the following news:<br /><br />Greetings from Ecuador,<br /><br />We've been having a great time together and our touring and acclimatization schedule has been working just fine. On our first full day in Quito, we did an orientation on the program and itinerary and then a thorough gear check. After that, we did a walking tour of Quito and visited a variety of cultural sites, from markets to colonial buildings with interesting architecture.<br /><br />On Sunday we did our first major acclimatization hike, climbing&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">13,776</span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">-foot Pasachoa. We had a good sunny day, though it was windy and kind of cold on the summit. It was a beautiful, open grasslands hike and we had excellent views of most of Ecuador's high altitude peaks.<br /><br />The team was a little tired by the end of the day, but it was just the right level of challenge. No one had any problems with the altitude.<br /><br />Today we climbed Rucu Pinchincha (15,413ft). Once again, the whole group made it to the summit, and had some incredible views of Quito and the surrounding volcanos!<br /><br />The sky is very clear today, but it is also very windy and cold! We pretty much only stayed on the summit long enough to take photos and then hiked down.<br /><br />This afternoon we are driving north, and tonight we'll be staying at beautiful Hacienda Guachala, And tomorrow, we make the fairly short drive to the hut just below Cayambe, which is our first big climbing goal. We hope the weather will be fair for our climb on Wednesday, but the forecast is calling for wind and rain in the next couple of days so we will see.<br /><br />The group is very strong and we are all enjoying each other very much. They are a fun group to climb with, and I am hoping that everyone will get the chance to stand on the summit of Cayambe, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo.<br /><br />I hope you are all well. We will call again when we have a good connection.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Erin-Leigh Hardyhttps://plus.google.com/109063081242347437814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-485619137070882902018-06-19T10:06:00.003-07:002018-06-19T10:06:33.924-07:00 Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 6 (June 3 - June 23)Guides:<br /><br />Andy Stephen<br />Calvin Morris<br />Seth White<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Peter Fowler<br />Steve Maliszeski<br />Andrew Prunty<br />Tim Wright<br />Erik Beever<br />Vaughan Busby<br />Vincent Larivierre<br />Maria Conceicao<br />Bjarne Henningsen<br /><br />Team 6 had an incredibly stormy day today, with high winds and heavy snow in camp. We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner,&nbsp;And got some clearing in the evening, although winds on the upper mountain still will not permit us to move upwards. The team is staying patient and positive. -AndyWyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-77837948538518741422018-06-18T20:19:00.000-07:002018-06-19T10:02:15.220-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)<br />Guides:<br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><br />Today our team engages Denali, the Athabascan name for this mountain alternatively translated 'The Dumper, the Blower, the Obliterator of Latrines'- today we engage her in a battle of snow shoveling as snowfall and strong winds intensify. Our camp remains relatively comfortable and secure, thanks to the round-the-clock efforts of our team. Weather will hopefully abate tomorrow, and we will resume forward progress towards the summit! Team 7 signing off for tonight.Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-28409381310490198232018-06-18T09:37:00.000-07:002018-06-18T09:37:15.657-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 6 (June 3 - June 23)<br />Guides:<br /><br />Andy Stephen<br />Calvin Morris<br />Seth White<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Peter Fowler<br />Steve Maliszeski<br />Andrew Prunty<br />Tim Wright<br />Erik Beever<br />Vaughan Busby<br />Vincent Larivierre<br />Maria Conceicao<br />Bjarne Henningsen<br /><br />Live from the cook tent- still at 14, all 12 are still accounted for, restlessness has driven us to make laps around camp, and making new friends from all over the world. The weather was slightly better around camp, but the upper mountain was still shrouded in storm. The system is supposed to continue tomorrow, and the team will wait throughout the day to make a decision about what to do as we are almost out of time. Everyone is happy and healthy, and excited to see what the weather brings.<br /><br />P.S. Happy Father’s Day to all team members dads!Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-26228813431384291752018-06-17T20:11:00.001-07:002018-06-19T10:01:59.084-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)<u>Guides:</u><br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><br /><u>Climbers:</u><br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><br />Team 7 is in a holding pattern as a strong low pressure system deposits snow and high winds across the Mountain. The team hardened Camp and ate some of their heavier meals to stay warm.Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-32083054146412861542018-06-17T11:03:00.000-07:002018-06-17T11:03:15.358-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 6 (June 3 - June 23)<u>Guides:</u><br /><br />Andy Stephen<br />Calvin Morris<br />Seth White<br /><br /><u>Climbers:</u><br /><br />Peter Fowler<br />Steve Maliszeski<br />Andrew Prunty<br />Tim Wright<br />Erik Beever<br />Vaughan Busby<br />Vincent Larivierre<br />Maria Conceicao<br />Bjarne Henningsen<br /><br /><br />And now, a passage from Tim Wright - The Team 6 collective hunker down in their tents at 14,200, waiting for the storm to pass. Here they will read books, regale&nbsp;each other with humorous anecdotes, and eat the occasional Milky Way. The team's bond is strong. Not even the gaseous exchanges occurring within sleeping bags could cause it to falter. They wait for the opportune moment in the weather to make their move to High Camp. Together, and only together, can they achieve their lofty goal of standing atop "the high one".&nbsp;We sit and wait in the weather, and will see what tomorrow brings.Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-76539572706575848252018-06-16T11:09:00.002-07:002018-06-19T10:01:50.476-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 7 (June 10 - June 30)Guides:<br /><br />Jim Mediatore<br />Eric Shaw<br />Kevin McGarity<br /><br />Climbers:<br /><br />Fang Ben<br />Jami Cate<br />Justice Hamson<br />Neil Fallon<br />Benjamin Chan<br />Arnaud Devilliers<br /><br /><br />The mountain served us a "Welcome to Denali" cocktail this morning - it's equal parts wind, weather, and whiteout. We arrived at Camp 2 early this afternoon, built camp, and have just finished Eric's delicious burritos for dinner. We are in the midst of an extended storm cycle - tomorrow's a rest day for us, but there will be lots of shoveling and wall building!Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184600232494128630.post-52316844863208703922018-06-15T07:41:00.002-07:002018-06-15T07:41:42.610-07:00Denali West Buttress Expedition Team 6 (June 3 - June 23)<u>Guides:</u><br /><br />Andy Stephen<br />Calvin Morris<br />Seth White<br /><br /><u>Climbers:</u><br /><br />Peter Fowler<br />Steve Maliszeski<br />Andrew Prunty<br />Tim Wright<br />Erik Beever<br />Vaughan Busby<br />Vincent Larivierre<br />Maria Conceicao<br />Bjarne Henningsen<br /><br />Today Team 6 officially established Fort Knox at Camp 3 (14,200ft) in preparation for high winds and heavy snow this weekend.&nbsp;Vince miraculously held on to his uncanny stranglehold in cards, while our amazing team leader illustrated his excavation prowess in creating a more luxurious water closet- 14 ft underground, complete with a spiral staircase. Tim met his Vinson compadre, and&nbsp;Vince showed his masonry skills while still looking like a Canadian Fabio #lululemon.&nbsp;The team is patiently waiting for its chance to ascend the mountain safely. Team 6 wishes you all a good night!Wyatt Evensonhttps://plus.google.com/117424446530115734388noreply@blogger.com1